Display case construction



July 5, 1949. E, cL us ETAL 2,475,079

DISPLAY CASE CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 19, 1946 V 3 Sheets-Sheet '2 b \NVELNTOR l8- EARL L. CLouss.

l8 ANTHONY ymoanvam 1$ U I i Mg v Arr oausxs July 5, 1949. E. CLOUSE ET AL 2,475,079

' DISPLAY CASE CONSTRUCTION Filed Oct. 19, 1946 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 ag lb /4 EARL' L. Cmu'ss; ANTHONY VANDERVELD ATTORNEYS \NVENTORS Patented July 5, 1949 DISPLAY CASE CONSTRUCTION Earl L. Clouse and Anthony Vanderveld, Grand Rapids, Mich., assignors to Grand Rapids Store Equipment Company, Grand Rapids, Mich., a

corporation of Michigan Application October 19, 1946, Serial No. 704,308

4 Claims.

The present invention relates to a display case construction which may be used in a store for handling and displaying merchandise retailed by the store.

Display cases of the type to which this invention pertains, in general, are of a rectangular parallelepiped form having at least in portions of their sides and ends, transparent walls and top such as glass to enclose the display compartment. The case may, at the bottom portion thereof, contain a storage compartment for merchandise from which, for example, goods selected for purchase by a customer seeing them in the upper display compartment, may be taken and delivered.

The present invention is directed to a display case construction of very economical manufacture, strong and sturdy in use, shippable in disassembled form and easily assembled at its place of use, which may be moved from one part of a store to another without damage and which, in general, substantially perfectly fulfills all of the requirements of an enclosed display of merchandise. The case may be made with or without the lower storage compartment, using a part of the present invention, but in practice the lower storage compartment will be provided having non-transparent sides While the upper display compartment will have transparent sides, ends and top and with our invention a novel joint between the non-transparent and transparent members of the case is provided in a very simple, economical and attractive form.

Many other construction features and novel arrangements of parts for attaining the ends stated, as well as others not at this time mentioned, will be understood from the following description of a preferred embodiment of our invention, shown in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Fig. 1 shows in perspective the major portion of the structural members of the display case in perspective, disassembled.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section from front to rear of the display case.

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section substantially on the plane of the broken line 3-3 of Fig. 1, looking downwardly.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of the upper end portion of one of the front posts.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary perspective view of the lower end portion thereof.

Fig. 6 illustrates, fragmentarily in perspective the separated parts of the display case at the 2 front at the joint between the lower opaque and upper transparent walls of the case,'and

Fig. '7 is a perspective view of one of the sup-' porting hangers.

Like reference characters refer to like parts in the different figures of the drawings.

In the construction illustrated, a bottom frame of rectangular form is provided, having rear and front longitudinal bars I and 2, the latter at its front corners being notched, as shown at 3. The frame is completed by end transverse bars 4 and additional transverse bars 5 spaced inwardly a short distance from the end bars 4, to which supporting feet 6 are adapted to be secured by screws or other equivalent connecting means. The frame is preferably of wood or equivalent material and the supporting feet 5 which elevate the frame and the superstructure of .the case above it, may beof any suitable material and design.

Front posts I are provided, one for each of the front corners of the frame, generally square in cross section. The lower end projections 8 of the posts are square in cross section but of reduced dimensions and adapted to fit notches or recesses at 3. Such posts of any strong rigid material are longitudinally grooved at their inner and rear sides with vertical grooves 9 (Fig. 4) which will receive the end vertical edges of the front members of the case and the front vertical edges of the end members thereof. At the upper end of each of the posts 1 angle brackets in are permanently secured inside of the grooves 9, having upper horizontal legs to which the top glass carrying frame may be secured.

The front posts 1 are connected with the bottom frame described by sheet metal usset plates H, triangular in shape and having each a lower horizontal and a vertical flange l2. The vertical flanges are secured and rigidly connected to the inner and rear sides of the posts 1 inside of the grooves 9 and the horizontal flange to the front bar 2 and end bars 4 of the lower frame. Rear vertical posts I 3 made up of sheet metal parts, as best shown in Fig. 3, are located at the rear corners of the frame and immediately at the back thereof. They are connected to the bottom frame by similar sheet metal gusset plates ll. Said rear corner posts are formed with vertical longitudinal grooves I3a at their front sides for the reception of the rear vertical edges of the end members of the show case. Posts l3 are also provided at their inner sides with longitudinal vertical grooves into which the outer vertical edges of the back sliding doors enter when th doors r nr l d posi i n g. 8). Said posts adiacent their lower ends have connected thereto a horizontal channel structure I4 of metal, welded or otherwise secured to the posts, and in which supporting strips I4a or carriages are placed upon which the lower edges of the lower rear doors ride. Between the upper and lower ends of the posts I3 longitudinal guides I5 for the upper edges of such sliding doors are located, welded or otherwise fastened to the posts; and immediately above said guides I5, channel uides I6, similar to the guides at I4, are located and permanently secured while at the upper ends of the posts, guides II similar to the guides I5 extend between said posts for the mounting of upper sliding doors for the upper or display compartment of the case.

Angle brackets I8 (Figs. 2 and '7) as shown, have their vertical legs thereof equipped with pins I8b adapted to be received in openings in the forward sides of the guide I6 to support the rear part of an intermediate frame which carries a horizontal partition dividing the case into its upper display and lower storage compartment. Brackets I8a are attached to the posts I at the front of the case as hereafter appears.

A horizontal bottom or floor I9 lies over the lower frame, resting upon the upper sides of the frame bars thereof. Sliding doors of wood or other opaque material are mounted to slide past each other between the guides I4 and I5 at the back of the case. A U-shaped frame member having a front horizontal bar 2I and end bars 22 at right angles thereto, and having vertical and horizontal flanges with the horizontal flanges extending underneath the front and end frame bars 2 and 4, is located against the outer edges of said bars and secured by screws passing upwardly through the horizontal flanges into the frame. The vertical flange of the front bar '2I is spaced a short distance ahead of the front edge of the bar 2. A vertical front wall 23 of wood or like material is slidably received in the grooves 9 at the inner sides of the posts I, and at its lower edge portions enters between the vertical flange of bar 2I' and the front edge of the bar 2. Similar end walls 24 (Fig. 3) are slid to lower position in the rear grooves of the posts I and the grooves at the front sides of the back posts I3, at their lower edge portions passing between the vertical legs of the end bars 22 and the outer edges of the bars 4. Said front and end walls 23 and 24, at the upper edges are beveled at a downward and inward incline as indicated at 25 (Fig. 6). The front brackets I8a previously mentioned are attached by means of screws to the posts I at the rear side of the front wall 23.

An intermediate supporting frame, rectangular in shape, consists of longitudinal bars 26 and transverse end bars 21. It is carried on the brackets I8 and Mia, and is covered substantially by a horizontal partition 28, forming the top of the lower storage compartment and the bottom of the upper display compartment. The front wall of the upper display compartment is provided by a glass plate 29 slidably inserted in the grooves 9 at the inner sides of posts 1, and the end walls are glass plates 30 slidably inserted in the back grooves 9 of the front posts and front grooves of posts I3. Angle members 32, preferably of wood, are attached to the inner upper surfaces of the panels 23 and 24 and have their upper portions extending above the upper beveled edges of said panels thereby forming grooves to receive the lower beveled edges of the glass panels 28 and 30 and this construction prevents the wood panels 23 and 24 to warp outwardly and show a gap between the angle members 32 and the partition 28. At the back glass sliding doors 33 are mounted for sliding movement, one inwardly of the other, in their guides I6 and I1 (Fig. 2).

The case is completed by a top including an open rectangular frame preferably made of sheet metal parts, as shown in Fig. l, and shaped at its under side to receive the upper edges of plates 29 and 30, and formed at its upper side to receive the longitudinal and end edge portions of a horizontal top glass plate 35. The upper open rectangular frame is connected with the front posts I by the brackets I0 as previously described. At the back, it fits over and functionally interlocks with the guides H.

The structure described is of a knock-down type, in which the several parts may be shipped to a destination separated from each other, being quickly assembled at the place where the case is going to be used. The lower storage compartment has opaque walls and any desired type of merchandise may be stored therein. The upper compartment has transparent walls through which articles are readily seen and are thus presented for display. Independent access to the two compartments is provided by the two series of doors 20 and 33. The construction is economical to build and is of an attractive appearance. It is especially sturdy and is not liable to be racked or distorted in service or in moving from one place to another in a store. It also may be readily disassembled for longer distance movements and quickly reassembled at a new destination, so that the case is always a valuable asset and does not become substantially worthless, for example, when a store discontinues business.

The invention is defined in the appended claims and is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

We claim:

1. In a construction as described, a lower rectangular horizontal frame having front and rear longitudinal bars, transverse end bars connected therewith and additional transverse bars located inwardly from the end bars, supporting members detachably connected to and located below said additional transverse bars, vertical posts at the front corners of said frame extending upwardly therefrom, sheet metal gusset plates of triangular form each having a vertical flange and a horizontal flange at the vertical and horizontal edges of the plates, two of said plates being secured at the lower end portion of each of said front posts, said vertical flanges thereof lying against the inner and rear sides of the posts and the horizontal flanges lying against the upper sides of said front and end frame bars, means for detachably connecting said horizontal flanges of the plates to said frame, vertical corner posts at the rear corners of the frame and rear edge of the rear frame bar, like gusset plates connected at the lower portions of said rear corner posts and to the end frame bars, horizontal door guides for sliding doors lying between both the upper and the lower ends of said rear posts permanently secured therewith, front and end vertical walls located between the front posts and between said front posts and rear posts, and a top covering the upper end of the case.

2. A construction as defined in claim 1, and a horizontal partition within the case between its upper and lower ends dividing the case into upper and lower compartments, intermediate horizontal sliding door guides between said rear posts and secured thereto, two series of sliding doors supported at the back of said case, and means connected at the front and ends of the frame within which the lower edge portions of said front and end walls are received and upon which the lower edges thereof bear, said means being connected to said frame.

3. A display case structure comprising, a rectangular horizontal bottom frame having front and rear corners, front posts located and extending upwardly at the front corners of said frame, gusset plates secured to said posts and said frame, rear posts located at the back of said frame at its rear corners, vertical front and end walls, gusset plates securing said rear posts to the frame, said posts having grooves for the reception of said front and end walls, sliding door guides extending between the upper and lower ends of the rear posts adapted to have sliding doors mounted therein, an open top frame connected at the upper ends of the front posts, a top member for the show case located horizontally upon and carried by said top frame, horizontal front and end bars located at the front and at the outer edges of the ends of said bottom frame, and means for securing said bars to the frame, said bars having upwardly extending legs spaced a short distance from the front edge of the bottom frame and from the end edges of the frame, the lower edge portions of said front and end walls being located between said front and end edges of the frame and said vertical legs of the bars.

4. In a show case structure, a bottom frame, spaced front and rear posts detachably connected to said frame at the front and rear corners thereof, front and end walls extending between the lower end portions of said front posts, and between said lower end portions of the front posts and the rear posts, said front and end walls having downwardly and inwardly inclined upper edges, additional front and end walls having downwardly and inwardly inclined lower edges located above the first mentioned front and end walls, with the inclined edge portions of adjacent walls in engagement with each other, said additional upper walls being of transparent material and the lower walls of non-transparent material, and a horizontal partition located within the show case in a plane adjacent the juncture of said transparent and non-transparent walls, means for supporting said partition, two series of doors at the back of the case, one at the lower part thereof and one at the upper part, below and above, respectively, said partition, and door guides at the respective upper and lower edges of said doors in which the doors are mounted.

EARL L. CLOUSE. ANTHONY VANDERVELD.

REFERENCES GITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 771,731 Johnson Oct. 4, 1904 1,612,100 Dailey Dec. 28, 1926 1,658,932 Morris Feb. 14, 1928 1,806,534 Hamilton May 19, 1931 

